


Family Reunion

by L_Moonshade



Series: Altered Realities [15]
Category: Highlander: The Series, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-21
Updated: 2015-03-21
Packaged: 2018-03-18 22:24:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3586254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/L_Moonshade/pseuds/L_Moonshade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Now that Pierce knows they're alive, Methos and Kate have business to attend to.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Family Reunion

Joe looked up from wiping down the bar as someone stepped through the door, about to tell them that he was closed. Then he caught sight of them, and his jaw dropped.

"See, now, this is what you should've been doing in Paris," Kate said.

"God damn it, I saw you," he said, throwing the rag onto the bar. "I identified your bodies. There was a Quickening that cut power to half the city! And you," he said, turning to look at Phil. "I suppose you knew all along?"

Phil gave a sheepish smile. "Sorry, Joe, but it was classified."

"Classified my ass. I don't know whether to give you a hug or a right hook."

"Feel free to do both," Methos said.

Joe considered. "Maybe I'll wait on the right hook until I get an explanation." Instead, he dragged first Methos then Kate in for a desperate hug. Once Joe had let Kate go, he stepped back. "Oh, hey, someone you wanna see."

Joe let out a sharp whistle and a Great Dane came walking into the main room. Then he caught sight of Kate and his tail started wagging and he raced over to stand up and put his paws on her shoulders.

_"Mau, you're not dead! I'm taking good care of Joe, just like you told me to."_

Kate laughed. "Yes, you are, Pup, thank you. You remember Phil and Adam?"

Roland dropped back to all fours and greeted the men while Joe studied Kate with a piercing look. "You talk to dogs, huh?"

"All animals, it comes with the gig."

"And has helped us more than once," Methos said, going behind the bar. "Ready for that explanation?"

"Yeah. Get me a beer, would you?" Joe made his way over to a table, Roland at his side, and sat. Once he was comfortable, Roland took up vigil under the table, where he could be close to everyone.

"So, what happened to you?" Joe asked, nodding to Phil's cast.

"I'd tell you but it's classified," Phil said, setting the crutches aside. "Our last op went bad."

Methos took a breath. "As for explanations we're going to let Phil explain…"

"Because they're cowards," Phil said.

Methos gave Phil glare. "Bite me."

"You know the rules, Agent. Not in public."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Because he's had more practice redacting than we have. If you boys are done?"

Joe watched with bemusement. "Please. I'd like to know what the hell happened."

"Kate and Adam found something they knew that my agency would be interested in and contacted me about it. I had a team get it—and Roland—out, then brought it to Paris in order to get it to a research facility nearby. We'd planned to stay a couple of days in case we were followed, which we were, by two other groups. One of them had convincing doubles of Kate and Adam, the other an even more convincing double of me. Group one got the item while my double, working for group two, was questioning—and killing—Darius. When their doubles were killed in a firefight, I got the director to okay using them as decoys to fake their deaths."

"Phil's double had proven he wouldn't stop at killing someone for the information, and you wouldn't come back," Kate said, voice somber. "We were pretty sure he didn't know about Immortals, but there was every possibility he would learn, and that Adam was one."

Joe scrubbed a hand over his face. "Well, I don't like it, but I guess I can't complain. So, why'd you come back?"

"Phil's double saw me during our last op," Methos said. "Which means there's no reason to stay away."

"There's another reason, though," Phil said. "He also saw Adam die and revive. He may come here looking for information."

"How dangerous is he?"

Phil sighed. "As dangerous as I am. He's a former SHIELD agent, with the same skill set as mine."

"Who is he?"

"His name is Pierce Delaware, but he'll probably try to convince you he's me."

Joe frowned. "How good at that is he?"

Phil sat for a moment silently picking the label off his beer. "He's been practicing most of our lives," he finally said, voice quiet and pained.

"Pierce is Phil's twin," Methos said.

Joe looked at them for a moment in horror, then got up and went behind the bar for something stronger than beer. "Fuck, Man, I don't even know what to say. I'm sorry."

Phil gave a weak smile. "Thanks."

"Any idea why?"

Phil shrugged. "The director thinks he knows what the catalyst was, but it's above our clearance so we have no idea. And it likely would have happened eventually, regardless."

"I don't just talk to animals, I have senses to rival theirs, too," Kate said. "I can identify people by their scent and I managed to get a whiff of Pierce's. He's not entirely stable."

"Fuck."

Methos gave a smile that held little humor. "That's one way to put it."

"So, you've been with SHIELD all this time?"

Phil gave a proud smile. "And have become two of our best agents."

Joe chuckled. "Somehow, that doesn't entirely surprise me. Not after I got the whole story about the Horsemen thing from Mac."

Kate winced. "That one hurt."

"Did you really have to do it like that?"

Methos shrugged. "Maybe not. But neither Kate nor I thought it worth the risk."

"Given what I've read about MacLeod in the Watchers Database, I have to agree with their assessment," Phil said. "If they'd asked outright and MacLeod had said no, Kate wouldn't have been able to play the damsel in distress."

"I still think that should've been you."

Phil gave Kate his best unimpressed look. "While that may have worked on Adam, I doubt it would have worked on MacLeod."

"You're probably right. For the record, it would've worked on me, too."

Phil just shook his head, the hint of a smile on his face.

Methos drained his beer and set the bottle aside. "We're not going to be able to stay too much longer—the director wants us helping with training since we're grounded and we've got to get back. You'll let MacLeod know what's going on?"

Joe nodded. "Yeah. You want me to mention that you're still alive?"

Methos shrugged. "It's up to you. If you do, though, make sure he knows that we work for a black ops organization, now. Coming after us with the intent to do harm would be a very not good idea."

Joe scoffed. "You know him. He'd Challenge you…"

"And even if Adam is above cheating, we're not," Kate said. When Phil sent a glare her way, she gave a wry smile. "Fine. Clint and I aren't."

"Somehow, you always struck me as someone who played by the rules," Joe said to Phil. Then, to Kate, "Who's Clint?"

Kate grinned. "Clint Barton is the fourth member of our team, and my brother." She pulled out her wallet to show him a photo. It was Kate's favorite; Clint was hanging upside-down from the rafters. "We adopted each other almost a year ago."

Joe, looking at the photo, huffed. "He looks like quite a character."

"When he was nine, he and his older brother literally ran away and joined the circus," Phil said. "He was there until I recruited him for SHIELD."

Joe's eyebrows shot up as he handed the wallet back to Kate. "What the hell could he do that SHIELD would need?"

"Sharpshooter," Methos said. "He can hit with anything ranged, but with a bow and arrow he's amazing. Better than I think I've ever seen."

"That's saying something. He know you're Immortal?"

Methos nodded. "Yeah. It's one of the reasons the four of us have been permanently assigned as a team. Everyone knows, so no one panics if I die."

"I can see how that'd be helpful. Alright, then, get outta here and do your jobs. Don't be strangers, huh?"

"Promise," Methos said, giving Joe a hug when they stood.

"We really did jump at the chance to come back," Kate said when it was her turn for a hug. "We've missed you, Joe."

"Yeah, well, I've missed you, too. And thanks for Roland. If you'd offered I probably would've slugged you, but as it was I was guilted into it. And really, he's been a God send."

Kate reached down to ruffle the dog's ears. "He's a good boy. Way too good for the asshole who had him when we met." She crouched, laughing when Roland licked her face. "Thanks for taking such good care of Joe."

 _"He's a good Alpha,"_ Roland said. _"He takes good care of me, too."_

Joe watched the exchange in amusement, even if he only understood one side of it. "What'd he say?"

"That you're a good Alpha."

Joe grinned, then turned to offer Phil his hand. "You don't be a stranger either, huh?"

Phil smiled. "I'll do my best. Take care of yourself, Joe."

"Yeah. You, too."

Joe went to the door to see them off, heart feeling lighter than it had in years. He didn't like what they'd done, but he could understand. And he could be grateful they'd gone to such lengths to look out for him.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks as always to Raynbowz.


End file.
